George Watts Montessori Magnet School | Kids Out and About Research Triangle <

George Watts Montessori Magnet School

Address: 
700 Watts St
Durham , NC , 27701
Phone: 919-560-3947
36° 0' 29.592" N, 78° 54' 38.1168" W
Contact name: 
Patti Crum
Business/organization type: 
Subjects / Categories: 
George Watts Montessori Magnet is one of two public Montessori elementary schools within Durham Public Schools. We began our transition from a traditional elementary school in 2004. Primary classrooms were the first to transition, growing our program into the upper grades with each successive year. Full implementation occurred in 2009. All of our students are selected through a lottery system. Our magnet theme is Montessori. Multi-aged classrooms are an integral part of the Montessori model. We are organized into three levels within our building, each containing a two to three year age span. Primary classrooms contain pre-k and kindergarten, Lower Elementary consists of first, second and third grades, with fourth and fifth grade classes comprising our Upper Elementary. Students are encouraged to work collaboratively and often present lessons to one another. Working together for a two- or three-year cycle encourages both strong bonds and caring classroom communities. Students remain with the same classroom teacher at each level. This provides a greater opportunity of time to build strong relationships between our teachers and their classroom families, in turn supporting academic growth.